Finding Fish Balls In Hong Kong

Hong Kong is heaven for foodies - on our recent trip we were salivating at all the options available - but had no idea where to start.

A great way to induct yourself into the culinary delights of a destination is to take a food tour. With the help of a local you can explore a neighbourhood, be introduced to all the best foodie spots and know that you are experiencing the local flavours of a destination.

We came across tour company - Humid With a Chance of Fish Balls - who offer an Off The Eaten Path Street Food and Authentic Eateries Food Tour through the Neighbourhood of Whampoa in Hong Kong.

Here are five reasons to consider a walking foodie tour with Humid With a Chance of Fish Balls.

---

1. Meet the Locals

One of the advantages of walking the streets of Hong Kong with a local is that they know, and are known to, the locals.  From being able to walk through the back yards of a public housing estate to witness the afternoon gossip session of the senior ladies, to being served an egg pancake from a legendary local street vendor, to interrupting a family dinner in a restaurant who are happy to clear out to let us in - there is a real local flavour to this tour.  

Owner of Humid With a Chance of Fish Balls, and our guide for this tour, Virginia, said when she started the tours she wanted to provide an insight into the origins of the food and why locals eat what they eat - providing something more than just a tasting opportunity.

---

2. No English - No Worries

A disadvantage of being Australian is that our language skills outside of English are generally limited.  When travelling through Hong Kong, although English is widely spoken, there are still a lot of vendors and restaurants that simply do not communicate in English.  There is a whole world of culinary delights that would have otherwise been out of our reach had we not had a translator with us.  

As a general rule, when walking streets on our own, we never would have even walked into a venue unless there was some sign of an English menu being available. Being able to walk into a restaurant (like the one pictured) where absolutely no English was spoken provided a great experience and brought great rewards of amazing food.

---

3. Why Else Would You Visit Whampoa?
​
If you are after a bit of an adventure and like getting off the beaten path - this tour would be for you.  As well as the culinary delights and the full belly you get from the tour - you are given an opportunity to discover a neighbourhood that may well be otherwise skipped on your Hong Kong visit.

Whampoa was easily accessed via MTR and upon reaching street level from the station you are greeted with a large ship!  Yes, a ship, purpose built to only ever be placed on the land in Whampoa.  Thanks to our guide, Virginia, we were given a well rounded history and insider knowledge of the neighbourhood.  

As we walked through the area she was able to position us at certain vantage points showcasing the Old and New Whampoa, took us into the back yards of both a public and private housing estate and walked us through the wet markets where the locals shopped daily.  We even stopped by a real estate agency where we were given the run down on what all the crazy pricing on their store windows meant and a good insight into the high cost of living in Hong Kong.

4. The Food

Ok, so the main reason for doing a foodie tour is for the food!  Well this did not disappoint, we tried things that blew our mind.  From the herbal jello with shavings of turtle shell, the bitter tea and pork floss on a pancake - this experience absolutely opened our palettes.

And the venues varied from a modern restaurant, a family owned dessert bar, a street vendor for street snacks and more - we had a real variety of experiences in the tour. 

A highlight was a visit to a dessert restaurant.  I have always been fascinated by Asian Desserts but never had the confidence to order and try.  By being on the tour our guide ordered a selection off the menu, including a shaved ice dish with kidney beans, jelly squares, fruit and condensed milk, allowing us to sample a whole range of new delights.

---

5. Families, Singles, Couples - all welcome

We travel as a family - 2 Adults and 2 children - and found that the small group opportunity was as suitable for us as it would be for a single or couples.  The groups are kept small, we had 10 in our tour, and everyone interacting and enjoyed the experience together.

Being a small group meant we had access to ask Virginia questions along the way and, as it is a walking tour, there were plenty of opportunities in between food stops to get to know more about the city from our guide. 

If you are travelling alone - what a great way to meet some other tourists from all over the world.  

And for families, we were well catered for and taken care of.  Our kids are pretty adventurous when it comes to food - however the spicy rub at the BBQ stall certainly tested the spice levels of our 9 year old.  Both the restaurant and Virginia were accommodating providing a less testing level of spice and sharing a milky type candy to cool our 9 year olds tongue that apparently was “on fire!”.

Penny - Itchy Feet Family

*Itchy Feet Family were a guest of Humid With a Chance of Fish Balls Off The Eaten Path Street Food and Authentic Eateries Tour in April 2019. 

---

Subscribe to Blog

Other Blogs You May Enjoy:
 - Get Wrecked on Moreton Island
 - Dixie Dude Ranch - Cowboy Ranch in Texas
 - Hard Rock Hotel Bali
 - Cycle London
​ - Christmas Cruising Pros and Cons